Category Archives: Benedictines

The monks of Saint Andrew’s Abbey, Valyermo (CA) gathered to elect a new abbot, Damien Toilolo on June 22, replacing Abbot Francis who stepped down two years ago. The new abbas is the second elected abbas of St Andrew’s.

Abbot Damien, until now, has served the Benedictine community as the Prior Administrator. But he’s also been the vocation director, postulant director, novice master and sub-prior.

A native of Los Angeles, Damien has experience in other things including a teaching credential. He was ordained a priest in 2005 after preparing for priesthood at Mt Angel Seminary. Abbot Damien will serve a 8-year term.

St Andrew’s Abbey has roots in Belgium and was for a time a priory in China before it was forced to move to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It was raised to abbatial rank in 1992.

Yesterday, Thursday, 17 June, the delegates to the General
Chapter elected Abbot Hugh Richard Anderson OSB to a six-year term as the
fifteenth President of the American-Cassinese
Congregation. The fiftieth general chapter was convened at St. Bernard Abbey, Cullman, Alabama, 13-18
June 2010.

Abbot Hugh succeeds Abbot Timothy Kelly OSB offered his resignation for
reasons of health, midway through his second term as president which became
effective 16 June.

Abbot Hugh, 72, was First Councilor of the Congregation at
the time of his election, had served as the eighth abbot of Saint Procopius Abbey, Lisle, Illinois,
having served from 1985-2002. The Benedictine community of monks of Saint
Procopius was founded in Chicago in 1885, became a conventual priory in 1887, an
abbey in 1894; the abbey transferred to its present location in Lisle, IL in 1914.

According to process, Abbot
Hugh’s election was confirmed by Archabbot Douglas Nowicki OSB, the Second
Councilor. In St Bernard’s abbey church Abbot Hugh celebrated a Mass of
Thanksgiving and concluded the Mass with the singing of the Te Deum.

Your prayers are kindly requested today for the peaceful repose of Father Damien Anthony Daprai, OSB, 47, who is being laid to rest today. He died suddenly Friday morning during his morning job around his abbey’s property. Father Damien was a monk of Marmion Abbey.

Ever since learning of Father Damien’s death mid-Friday morning I’ve been thinking of him and the loss experienced by many. He is the second friend to die this year of a heart attack at the same age!!!

Of the many reasons for sympathy for Damien’s death is his youthfulness and his faithful friendship. Many would give witness to this fact!!! He was committed to the monastic way of life according to the Rule Saint Benedict having made his solemn profession in 2007. When he entered Marmion Abbey he received the name Damien in honor of Blessed –now Saint– Damien de Veuster of Molokai. Likewise, he was a new priest of Jesus Christ having been ordained only two years ago. Father Damien’s death happened on one of the greatest solemnities the Church observes: the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There are only a few days which would be better to die than on the Sacred Heart’s feast, if one had the choice.

Last evening the monastic community and Damien’s family received his body at the Abbey for a visitation and to pray the Office of the Dead. This morning Abbot Vincent de Paul will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial for Damien in the Abbey Church of Saint Augustine of Canterbury. Burial is in the abbey cemetery.

Father Damian was a friend, though we haven’t seen each other in a few years and would keep in touch through a mutual friend, Brother Andre of the Marmion. THE eery thing is that when I spoke with Brother Andre on Thursday, the day before Damien’s death, we spoke of Damien. The last time I saw Damien we were planting trees in the Abbey Christmas tree field, he was then a seminary student and excited about service as a priest.

As a side note, Brother Andre mentioned to me that Father Damien was an organ donor. Thanks be to God his good health has assisted anywhere from 20-50 people. A blessing indeed!

Forgive, O Lord, the soul of Damien, your priest from the all the chains of his of his sins and by the aid to them of your grace may he deserve to avoid the judgment of revenge,

Benedictine abbots and by extension all monks, nuns and Christians are expected to give to the Lord an account of the way the goods of creation are used (Rule of St Benedict & Luke 16:2). In various contexts Pope Benedict has also addressed the Church on the proper use of creation for the good humanity and over the long haul. Questions of environmental sustainability surface more and more these days with critical assessments of how we live viz. the ideals by which we live (the Gospel, theology), questions of stewardship, availability of manpower, money, etc.

A good example of what I am indicating are the environmental programs sponsored by the monks of St John’s Abbey and University to take a deeper look into a holistic approach to the environment in light of various disciplines. In the last few years the monks of the Abbey of Saint Gregory the Great, Portsmouth, RI, have begun a number of initiatives to be good stewards: a wind turbine and a large garden to supply the abbey and the school with fresh vegetables, name a few (more info here). Also, we can survey various abbeys who made some good choices by the planting of hundreds of trees to reclaim a forest by the monks of St Meinrad Archabbey, the comprehensive review of Sant’Anselmo (Rome) to see how more efficient they can be, Conception Abbey working wind technology and St Mary’s Abbey maintaining an apple orchard, an extensive garden, land preservation and a few bee hives. But these few good things raise the question of how all of us think and act green for better and healthy living.

Monks, nuns, priests, brothers and sisters are expected to live differently from the secular counterparts; seemingly the seculars do a lot better a living with a green consciousness. But Benedictines and Franciscans usually get praise for their being good stewards of creation.

The
recent Cannes Film Festival showed the film about the 1996 Trappist martyrs of Our Lady of
Atlas in Algeria. The film got rave reviews and awarded 2nd place. The film is in French and it will be
available on DVD with English subtitles. While we wait for the full film to be available here is
a clip on Youtube with subtitles at: Of Gods and Men.

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement, and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.